MGLN: Passage to Al Hazard
by Caelion
Summary: Sometimes things can go totally opposite. Yuuno hadn't met Nanoha to teach her magic while Precia had come to love Fate as her own daughter. But despite this, another tragedy occurred. The one that would change Nanoha's life anyway. AU covering the first season of MGLN.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own MGLN series and it's characters. The title of the story was inspired by the song "Passage to the Fourth World" by Sinergy.

**A/N: **First of all, yeah, I know that I was supposed to post this story at the 20th of September. But I've finished the prologue a few days ago so why wait? Of course, updates may be a little slow at first, as I still have one exam to pass so please, bear with me for a while.

Secondly: This is _not_ a songfic, but a miltichapter story. Probably, it's going to be my longest one so far and this is a prologue. It covers the first season of the anime, but since most of things go totally different, I consider this one an AU.

With that said, have a good read.

* * *

**MGLN: Passage to Al Hazard**

**Prologue**

**By: Caelion**

When I saw her for the first time, I couldn't shake off the feeling that she seemed sad and lonely. A little, young girl, just like me. She was sitting alone near a concrete sea wall, hugging her knees and watching the setting sun. Her, still short, brown hair were tied in two ponytails, she was dressed in a uniform-like white dress with a small, black and white jacket on top. I was looking at her for a while before turning back. Just when I wanted to walk away, I heard her silent sobs she wasn't even trying to hide. Was she hurt somewhere? Maybe she needed help?

I acted faster than I was able to think. "Um, are you okay?" I asked shyly, coming closer to her. I wasn't good at talking to people I didn't know. After all, I had always lived with only my mother, Linith and Arf.

At first, she looked surprised when she heard my voice. She quickly wiped tears from her face and turned to look at me. "Nyahaha..." She laughed and smiled. It was a cute laugh. "I thought I was the only one here." We stared at each other for a while before she spoke again. "Want to look at the sea together?" She asked as if nothing happened.

It was my turn to be surprised. It was only my second day here, I had never looked at the sea before like that. "Mm," I nodded, sitting next to her. Together, we were watching the setting sun before I decided to break the silence again. "You were crying before, weren't you?" Somehow I couldn't help but be concerned about this girl. When she didn't respond, I continued. "You can tell me about it if you want. Mother once said that telling someone else about a problem can make things easier."

Her expression saddened when I finished. She looked at her feet, hugging her knees and playing with the edge of her white uniform's dress. "My dad is not feeling well." She said after a while. "When I was very little, he had an accident at work and since that time he hasn't woken up." She confessed silently. "My mom is very sad since then and she often cries in her room. But my older brother and my older sister work hard to help her." She continued her tale and I was listening to her, feeling my eyes watering as she went on. Why was I feeling so compassionate towards her? "And there is nothing I can do to help them. I'm already nine but I feel like a third wheel. And they just tell me to be a good girl and pursue my dreams."

I didn't know how to respond or comfort her. So I patted her arm and said the first thing that came to my mind. "Don't worry, I'm sure that your family cares about you and they wish you only the best." I offered her an encouraging smile. Somehow, I felt that she was similar to me in a way.

"Thank you..." She responded in a little more cheerful way. "By the way, I'm Nanoha. Takamachi Nanoha." When she introduced herself, her voice was already devoid of sadness.

"Nanoha..." I repeated her name, looking into her eyes. She smiled at me, nodding her head and I felt my cheeks flushing lightly. "Um, I'm Fate. Fate Testarossa." I returned the introduction.

"Nice to meet you, Fate-chan." I could swear that her eyes sparkled when she said my name for the first time.

"Nice to meet you, Nanoha." I also couldn't help but smile as well. Nanoha... it was a cute name.

"So, Fate-chan," She started mildly, not turning away. "Now that we know each other's names, would you like to be my friend?"

Friend? Linith had told me about it some time ago, she said that I should make some here, on Earth. "But what should I do to become your friend?" I asked curiously.

To my astonishment, Nanoha burst out laughing. "Nothing, Fate-chan, you've already done it." She replied sincerely. "You have just called my name, it's all you need to do to become one's friend." She explained, giving me a gentle smile.

"Yes!" I exclaimed immediately before I could think about another answer. I wanted to get to know this girl better. "I want to be your friend, Nanoha." If having friends was like that, then I was glad I hadn't walk away back then.

* * *

And so, Nanoha became my first friend. I was happy to have somebody to talk with. Arf was busy for the most of time and my mother also called me only once per day because of her tight schedule.

We were meeting for the fifth time in the same place, near the sea wall. We were talking and watching the sunset together. It was always fun, I came to know that Nanoha's family owned a bakery and sometimes she would help her mother or her siblings with baking. But for most of the time she was busy with her school. Ah, I also came to know what 'school' was. I was a little sad that I couldn't go there with her, meeting her friends would surely be fun so she promised to bring them with her one day.

On the other hand, I felt bad that I couldn't tell her more about my own family. Both mother and Linith were constantly reminding me to keep in secret my true reason for being here. So when she asked me, I told her only what I could.

"My mother is a scientist." I said, looking at the calm sea. "Lately, she is very busy and we talk rarely but I know that she cares about me." I smiled at the memory of the time spent with my mother. "Linith is my nanny, she looks after me and teaches me." I continued and she was looking at me, listening carefully. "And there is Arf, my fami- pet." I quickly corrected myself. I didn't like calling Arf my pet but she said that she didn't mind for the sake of keeping the secret. And after all, she was a wolf before I had found her.

"It sounds like a happy family." Nanoha responded, a little thoughtfully. I knew that her life wasn't easy and I wanted to comfort her in some way.

I opened my mouth to say something more but suddenly I heard Arf's excited voice in my head.

"_Fate! I found it!"_

I needed to go. "I'm sorry, Nanoha," I stood up and looked at her surprised expression. "I have to go now, I promised to come back home earlier today." I offered her an apologetic smile and she returned it, nodding her head. I felt bad lying to her but it was necessary.

"It's okay, Fate-chan, we'll see tomorrow." She answered happily but I could hear disappointment in her voice.

"Um, tomorrow." I confirmed, looking at her one more time, before turning around and running into an empty alley. _"Arf, where are you?"_ I asked mentally, pulling out my small, golden device.

* * *

When I came at our meeting place the next day, Nanoha was nowhere to be found. I was looking for her and waiting for almost an hour but in the end she didn't come. I only hoped that she wasn't angry at me for going home the day before so early. Resigned, I went back to the skyscraper I was living in. I was a little sad that I couldn't meet with her, she was the first person in my age I was able to talk with. And on top of that, I liked doing it. Every thought about not seeing her any more was filling my heart with fear and emptiness I couldn't even describe. Was I that attached to her already?

I felt an indescribable relief when I saw her the next day. "Nanoha!" I called out to her, coming closer, but she didn't move. And then I felt that something wasn't right. "You didn't come yesterday." I said with a fake pout to cheer her up.

"I'm sorry..." She responded silently, still looking at the water before her.

Sitting next to her, I looked at her face. She was sad, gazing blankly at the orange horizon. "Why didn't you come?" I asked gently, maybe a little playfully, putting my hand on her own, something my mother would do when I was feeling down.

She stayed silent for a longer while before she answered. "I was at my dad's funeral."

I felt like my breath was caught in my throat and an unpleasant feeling appeared in my stomach. Why was I so stubborn to ask her that again? Suddenly, I heard her sniffing and I centred my attention on her again. When she started crying, I acted instinctively. I wrapped my arms around her, embracing her tightly. "I'm sorry," I whispered silently, holding her gently. She was very warm, and I kind of liked the feeling, but it wasn't a good time to think about it. I started to soothe her like my mother or Linith would do, although I rarely cried myself.

The sky started to turn black. My attempts to calm Nanoha down turned out ineffective as she started to shake and cry harder. I didn't want to see her like this. We'd known each other for only a week but she had already taken a special place in my heart. "Nanoha," I started firmly. "I'll bring your father back." I stated and waited for reaction.

At first, she was acting like she didn't hear me. Only after a while did she start to calm down. "You're joking, right?" She stammered through her tears. "Thank you, for trying to cheer me up." Her voice faltered again.

"I'm not joking." I answered in a serious tone. This time, she stopped crying and looked at me. Her sad, azure eyes were gazing into my red ones. Although I was sure that she didn't believe in my words, I saw in them a spark of hope. "Let me show you something." With an unspoken command, I put my black and red barrier jacket on. Holding her tightly, I soared into the dark sky, hearing only wind humming in my ears and her silent gasp as we were flying higher and higher, leaving the whole world behind.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for reading. So, what do you think about this idea? The more comments you give me, the faster I'll post the first chapter. Believe it or not, but a lot of reviews makes me inspired and motivated to work.

For those who wonder about Nanoha's dad case:

Both in the first season and the Movie 1st manga it was stated that Nanoha's father had an accident at work. Nanoha was also feeling useless because she couldn't help her family. In the manga and anime, he had woken up after some time. Here, he had never woken up.

One more time, thanks for reading and 'till the next time!


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hello there, sorry that it took me so long. As a justification, I'll say that my last exam is this Tuesday and after that you can expect much faster updates.

Okay, today we have some talking and some action, I hope you'll like this chapter. Have a good read.

* * *

**Passage to Al Hazard**

**Chapter 1**

**By: Caelion**

Many times Nanoha had wondered how it'd be like to soar high in the sky, far above her city, far above the whole world. And suddenly she got a chance to feel and see it on her own. She felt her breath getting caught in her throat as she was flying high, almost reaching the clouds, held by Fate's protective arms. The air up there was cold and their speed made the brunette shiver, but in the same time Fate's body was oh so pleasantly warm. She wrapped her own arms around the blonde's neck, turning her head and watching the lights of Uminari city passing beneath them. Nanoha closed her eyes for a while, giving in to a cool wind blowing through her hair and on her face.

Fate was making circles around the city, high enough to not be seen by other people. After flying a few rounds, she landed on top of a high, illuminated with electric-yellow light, skyscraper. Putting Nanoha on a safe ground again, the blonde took a few steps back. "Nanoha?" She asked tentatively, looking at the flabbergasted brunette.

"Fate-chan," The girl started with a shaky voice, fixing her eyes on her blonde friend. "We flew, didn't we?" Slowly, she started processing all the information and everything around her. How did they manage to fly a while before? And when Fate changed her clothes? Moreover, why her outfit was so skimpy?

Indeed, Fate was dressed differently. Her long hair were tied in two ponytails with dark-blue ribbons, on her torso she wore a black cloth, to Nanoha, resembling a one-piece swimming suit with two thin, red and golden-yellow belts, one above her chest and one below it. The upper part of the girl's thighs was covered with a short, pink skirt, held by a rather massive, brown belt, while the rest was hidden beneath black thigh-highs. Her feet were protected by steel boots, black gloves on her hands with two golden triangles on their outer sides. But the most noticeable part was a long cape on the blonde's arms, red on the inside and dark-blue on the outside.

"Mm, we did." Fate nodded her head lightly and realised that Nanoha was literally gaping at her Barrier Jacket. "Ah, this..." She started shyly, smiling nervously.

Nanoha raised her head when she heard the girl's voice. "H- How?" She stammered and shivered suddenly. The sun had hidden beneath horizon some time ago, making the air significantly colder on top of the building they were standing on. And if not for the skyscraper's lights, it would be totally dark around them.

Seeing it, Fate took off her cape and wrapped it around Nanoha. "Here, it should warm you up a little." And then, an idea popped in her head. "Um, we're close to my place, how about going there?" She asked, observing the girl's reaction. "I- It's much warmer there, I could explain everything to you." She added quickly and Nanoha nodded her head.

Opening a roof door, Fate led the brunette inside, going down the stairs and stopping in front of the first door at their way. "Pardon the intrusion. Do you live here?" Nanoha asked, looking around when she entered Fate's empty apartment. It was a small but very neat place, divided into a short hall, kitchen, bathroom, living-room and two bedrooms.

"I do," Fate responded, smiling to her friend. "Ah, looks like Arf is out." She added, releasing her Barrier Jacket when she closed the door. Once again Nanoha opened her mouth as she watched Fate's outfit changing into normal clothes. The pink skirt was replaced by a little longer, white one while a long-sleeved black blouse appeared on the girl's torso. Also, the cape disappeared. Nanoha turned her head a few times, looking for the cloth, before hearing a light giggle coming from Fate. "It's okay, Nanoha, you didn't lose it." She assured the girl and led her to the living-room.

They sat on a sofa standing near a huge window. The view was fabulous, and for a while, Nanoha couldn't take her eyes off it. At night, most of the city's lights were visible, from this height, cars were reduced to small points of light, moving fast on countless roads. It was a great view, almost as good as flying. Nanoha remembered about her earlier experience and turned around to look for the blonde. Only to find out that she was sitting on the sofa alone. She hopped off of it and went to the other side of the room. There was a rather big shelf hanging on the wall, decorated with a few pictures in frames. On the first one was Fate in her outfit from earlier, standing next to a tall girl with orange hair, dressed in unbuttoned shorts and a white blouse, both as skimpy as the blonde's clothes. Another one also showed Fate, this time with a short-haired woman dressed in grey and white, standing behind her and protectively resting her hands on the girl's arms. The last one was a picture of a tall, black-haired woman, smiling and holding hand of a small girl looking like Fate but dressed in a green summer dress.

Nanoha picked up the picture, looking closely at the girl. She was leaning to the side of the woman a little, with a cheerful expression on her face. Her long, golden hair were tied in twin ponytails with green ribbons. At first, she was looking like a mirror image of Fate, but after watching the girl for a longer while, one could tell that something was off.

"It's my mother and my sister Alicia," Fate's voice made Nanoha almost jump as she tightened her hold on the picture, careful to not drop it.

She put the frame back on the shelf and turned her head to the blonde. "Sorry, I shouldn't-"

"It's okay," Fate interjected, smiling and handing a glass of water with lemon to the girl. "Here, I thought you'd like to drink something."

"Ah, thank you," Nanoha took the offered drink and started to sip it slowly. "You've never told me that you have a sister." She added.

Fate's expression saddened a little. She looked at her feet in silence before she responded. "I had." She answered, making Nanoha cover her mouth with her hand. "She died before I was born."

A short while passed before Nanoha gathered her words again. "I'm sorry, Fate-chan," She put her drink on the shelf and hugged the blonde. Somehow, she understood the girl's pain.

Fate stiffened a little at first, but she quickly relaxed when Nanoha started to massage her back in a reassuring way. The blonde leaned into the hug and returned the embrace. She liked the feeling and the warmth of the other girl. But she promised her to explain everything so she pulled back and led Nanoha to the sofa again. "Thank you," She said, sitting and leaning on a soft pillow. "I said that I'd tell you the truth, didn't I?" She started and looked at Nanoha. The girl's expression turned into a curious one again. "I am a mage." Fate confessed after a while, saying it as if it was something completely obvious.

"A mage?" Nanoha asked with a hint of disbelief. "Like those in movies who cast spells and travel all over the world?"

Although not knowing what 'movies' were, Fate chuckled at the comparison. "I think you're right in a way." She took a sip of her drink and continued. "I came here from another world." Next to her, Nanoha gasped silently. "I'm here to look for lost treasures called Jewel Seeds, I need them to help my mother with reviving my sister Alicia."

Nanoha almost choked on her water. She couldn't find words to respond. It was all so unbelievable to her. "R- Reviving?" She stammered after a while.

Fate nodded her head in response. "It is said that there exists an ancient world called Al Hazard. According to my mother's research, people go there after their death and it's possible to get there by opening an interdimensional gate. But it requires a huge amount of power, for example, the one held by Jewel Seeds." Nanoha was opening and closing her mouth repeatedly, trying to fully understand everything Fate had just said. Taking advantage of her friend's silence, the blonde continued. "If going there is possible, then maybe we could somehow find your father and Alicia and bring them back..."

"You... Could you bring back my dad like that?" Nanoha asked hopefully as her expression cheered and a small smile appeared on her face. If what Fate was saying was truth... Maybe Nanoha's family could become happy again. Maybe they would finally start treating her seriously...

"Mm!" Fate responded and nodded enthusiastically, grabbing Nanoha's hands in her own. "We'll bring him back to you." She assured the girl.

Nanoha rested her back on the couch. "Thank you, Fate-chan." She looked once again at the picture of Alicia and her mother, when her gaze rested on a clock hanging above. "Oh my, it's that late already! My mom must be worrying about me." She stood up but Fate stopped her.

"Wait, I'll give you a lift." She said, pulling out the golden triangle from her skirt pocket.

"A lift?" Nanoha looked at her friend, tilting her head lightly.

"Mhm," The blonde nodded. "Bardiche," She commanded, looking at the triangle in her hand.

[Yes sir!]

A mechanical voice this time made Nanoha jump at first, but in a next while she was blinded by a golden-yellow light emitting from Fate. When it died down, the girl was wearing her outfit from earlier.

"Ah, I didn't explain it to you, did I?" Fate asked, opening the giant window behind the sofa.

"Um, no..." Nanoha watched her carefully, moving forward as Fate gestured her to come closer. Then, the blonde picked her up, as if she was a princess, and jumped out of the room, right through the open window. Nanoha yelped and felt her heart going up to her throat for a while before they soared high above the skyscraper again.

"Where do you live?" Fate's voice made the girl aware of her surrounding again.

"Ah, t- the northern part of the city's outskirts." She answered after recovering from initial shock, looking around and then pointing the right direction.

"Okay," The blonde nodded her head and started flying towards Nanoha's house. "Bardiche is my device." She started suddenly. "Mages need their devices to properly control their power. The outfit I have now is called Barrier Jacket. It's role is protecting me from getting hurt."

Nanoha scratched her head. "I kind of understand," She answered, pondering on Fate's words. How something so skimpy could protect anyone? "Mm, I live there," She pointed at a house beneath them.

Fate looked around and flew towards a dark alley near the building. "I'd rather to not be seen so I'll leave you here, okay?" She asked, putting the girl back on the ground. "Do you..." She started shyly. "Do you still want to meet with me tomorrow?"

"Of course I do," Nanoha responded, giving the blonde a smile. "So, see you tomorrow, Fate-chan." She waved her hand before turning around and going home.

Fate smiled to herself, returning the wave even if the brunette couldn't see it. A warm feeling filled the girl's heart as she was watching her friend's back. Casting the last glance, she soared above the alley, gaining speed and going as high as she could. _"Have you found something, Arf?"_ She asked, activating her own searching spell.

"_Not yet,"_ She heard in response, quickly followed by another one. _"But don't even think about searching on your own, Fate. You need to save your powers for fighting."_

"_It's okay, Arf, just a little bit."_ The blonde answered, concentrating her attention on the spell.

"_Uh, you better don't tell Precia-sama about it."_

* * *

The first thing that hit Nanoha after getting close to her house were lights being on. Silently, she opened a gate in a wall separating the building from a street, hoping for not getting scolded by coming back so late.

"Nanoha!"

The brunette jumped as she heard her older sister's voice behind her. "Ah, Miyuki-neesan," She turned around, facing the older girl with glasses and dark brown hair. She was standing with her arms crossed, looking at her angrily and sadly in the same time.

"Here you are," A tall male, with features similar to the girl, soon joined them with a disappointed expression on his face. "What do you think you're doing? Wandering all alone at night..." He said, turning to Nanoha, and sighed loudly. "Honestly, mom almost cried herself to death-" He stopped abruptly as the girl next to him put her hand on his arm.

"It's enough, Kyouya," Miyuki looked at Nanoha who was gazing sadly at her feet. "Nanoha," The smaller brunette raised her head. "You won't do it again, will you?" Miyuki asked mildly.

Nanoha nodded her head repentantly. "I'm sorry, Miyuki-neesan, Kyouya-niisan, I won't." She answered silently.

"Good girl," Miyuki smiled lightly, taking the girl's hand and leading her back to the house, followed by Kyouya. "Better go and apologize to mom, she was worried about you."

"Okay," Nanoha responded, changing her boots and then going to her mother's bedroom. Knocking a few times, she opened the door and stepped inside. "Mom?" She asked tentatively, seeing the woman with long, brown hair, sitting on her bed, her face hidden in her palms.

"Nanoha..." The woman raised her head before kneeling in front of her daughter and hugging her tightly. "I was so scarred... I though that- that something happened even to you..." She stammered through her tears.

"I'm sorry, mom," Nanoha patted her mother's back, angry at herself for being so reckless. Not only couldn't she help her family, but also she made everyone worry. But Fate's words gave her hope that things would finally become better.

When Nanoha came back to her room, she changed her clothes immediately and lay down on her bed. Her stomach growled loudly when she stretched on the soft sheets, watching her celling. After all, she had missed her dinner, it was too late to eat something anyway. Reaching for her phone and checking for any new messages, she sighed silently at the memory of her new, blonde friend. When she was younger, she used to believe in magic. Not only that, she even hoped to meet a mage who would make her little wish come true. And she only wished for her father to wake up. But as she grew older, even this hope had finally died. And suddenly, everything changed, along with appearance of Fate. Fate... She liked this name. Somehow, it sounded familiar. She got up and went to a small cabinet in her room. Picking up a large English dictionary, she opened it and started to look for the word.

And there it was, Fate; Personified destiny. Nanoha laughed silently. Was she destined to meet the girl who was able to change her life? Putting the dictionary back on it's place in the cabinet, she changed her clothes and turned off the light in the room, lying back on the bed, pulling her cover up to her chin. Closing her eyes, she saw the image of Alicia with her mother. And she truly hoped for Fate's success.

* * *

"Ah, Fate, I told you to save your power..." A tall, orange-haired girl pouted, cleaning a nasty looking large cut on Fate's right arm. "I'm sorry, does it hurt?" She asked with concern when the blonde winced.

"No, it's okay, Arf" Fate responded silently.

"You've had a lot of luck today, this one was quite strong." Arf said conversationally, taking a bandage and wrapping it around the girl's arm. "Though not as strong as the one from the two days before."

"Ne, Arf," The blonde started but stopped, wincing again when the white cloth touched the wound. "You know that you don't have to do it." She continued mildly, looking at her familiar focused on her work.

"I want to." Arf replied instantly. No hesitation apparent. "You've saved my life and made a fair contract with me. I want to help you as much as I can."

Fate remembered the time when she found a small, wounded wolf during her training. She couldn't help it in any other way except for making it her familiar. Linith taught her how to make a contract and it even made her mother happy to know that she had found herself a partner to train with. Arf was always loyal to Fate and her skills were truly irreplaceable. But in the same time, Fate didn't want to put her into unnecessary danger.

"Sometimes..." The taller girl continued suddenly. "Sometimes I just wish we had more help," She finished. "The way we look for Jewel Seeds now may take us a lot of time and we don't want to have TSAB on our backs before we finish."

"Don't worry, Arf," Fate patted her familiar's head with free hand. "We're here for only a week and we have already collected five Jewel Seeds out of twenty one." She raised her bandaged arm to check if the cloth wasn't blocking her movements. "Thank you." The blonde said, patting the girl more and giggling when a pair of orange dog ears popped up from Arf's head.

* * *

The next day, they met at the sea shore as always. But this time it was Fate waiting for Nanoha. "I realised that I actually didn't know when you exactly come here." The blonde responded to Nanoha's surprised face and an unspoken question lingering on the brunette's mind.

Sitting next to her friend, Nanoha laughed silently. "I come here right after school, my friends, Suzuka and Arisa, usually give me a lift. Since they turn into a different part of the city, I get out a few alleys from here and go to watch a setting sun before coming back home." A few minutes of silence passed before the brunette spoke again. "About yesterday," She started uncertainly, casting a glance at Fate with a corner of her eye. "You were saying the truth, right?" She asked hopefully.

"I was." The blonde answered softly and Nanoha let out a silent sigh of relief.

Then, the brunette spotted the bandage on Fate's arm. "What happened, Fate-chan?" She asked, pointing at the white cloth.

Fate turned her head to Nanoha, surprised at first, then saw what Nanoha was looking at. "Ah, this," She couldn't really tell the brunette that she got hurt while fighting the monster, could she? "I... tripped." She lied, looking back at the sea.

"Ah, okay." The two went silent again, watching as the sun was slowly getting closer to the horizon, it's light turning into a milder shade of yellow. "You know, Fate-chan," Nanoha picked up a conversation once more. "I've wondered what's going to happen when you find all those Jewel Seeds and bring back your sister."

"Hm?" Fate raised her eyebrow lightly, turning her head to her friend. "What do you mean?"

"You're going to leave after that, aren't you?" Nanoha said sadly.

Fate looked down at her lap. The truth was that she didn't know. And the brunette's question made her realise that, in fact, she didn't want to leave this place. Or rather, she didn't want to leave Nanoha, her first friend. "I'm not sure..." She replied honestly. "It'll probably depend on my mother."

"Ah..." Nanoha turned her gaze at the sun again when suddenly Fate stood up next to her. "Fate-chan?"

"I'm sorry, I have to go," The blonde looked at Nanoha, meeting with a disappointment in the other girl's blue eyes. "We'll meet tomorrow, okay?" She assured her and wanted to turn away when a hand caught her own. "Nanoha?" Surprised, she saw the brunette getting up.

"You're going to look for Jewel Seeds, aren't you?" Nanoha asked straightforwardly.

Fate bit her lower lip. "Mm," She nodded finally and tried to walk away but the grip around her wrist tightened.

"Please, take me with you." The brunette said firmly, looking into Fate's eyes.

Fate opened her mouth when her rationality kicked in. "I can't, it's too dangerous."

"But..." Nanoha tried to find another reason. "If I'm not able to help, I just want to be there with you." She added. "Please..."

The blonde pondered about her friend's words. If she just wanted to watch then there was nothing wrong with this, wasn't there?

"_Fate, what's taking so long?"_ Arf's voice made Fate snap out of her thoughts.

"Okay," The blonde answered. "But you won't move from your place unless I want you to do so, okay?" She said firmly.

"Mhm," Nanoha nodded her head enthusiastically, a smile appearing on her face. "Please, take care of me." She added when Fate returned the gesture.

"Bardiche," Fate pulled out her device, holding it tight. "Get set!" She exclaimed suddenly.

[Yes sir!] The mechanical voice rang out by the empty sea shore as the yellow light surrounded both Fate and Nanoha.

"Hold on tight." Fate warned, embracing Nanoha with one hand, holding a long weapon in her other one. Soaring high above the ground, she established mental link with her familiar . _"Arf, where are you now?"_ She turned around a few times, looking for any sign of the orange-haired girl.

"_Go to the eastern part of the city, I'll meet there with you."_ Arf's response came immediately.

"_I'll be right there,"_ Fate turned to the said direction and shot forward, gaining more and more speed.

Nanoha was taken aback at first by the blonde's cold professionalism and her concentration on her mission. They weren't talking during their way, though Nanoha had a few questions to ask. Mostly about Fate's weapon which resembled a mechanical axe on a long staff, with an electric-yellow gem on it's blade's both sides. But that could wait, Nanoha didn't want to interrupt her friend.

They were flying fast and high, basked in warm, orange sunlight. Passing above the city, they could hear the sounds of cars and occasional ambulances beneath them. They almost reached eastern outskirts when suddenly everything went disturbingly silent. In a blink of eye the sky darkened and the streets became empty. Nanoha embraced Fate tighter, looking around anxiously when the blonde landed on top of a high building.

"Don't worry," Fate assured the girl, putting her on a ground. "We're inside of a barrier."

"A barrier?" Nanoha didn't hide her curiosity.

"It's something like an alternate dimension." The blonde explained. "It prevents us from being seen and all damage done here doesn't affect the world outside. In a way it's like a prison, if a person setting it up doesn't want anyone to leave, then no one will do so unless the barrier is destroyed."

"But who would create something like this in a middle of the city?" The brunette asked, looking at her friend questioningly.

"Arf has set it up. She probably wants to lure the monster here."

"M- Monster?" Nanoha turned around frantically, searching for any kind of abnormality except for being trapped in something so unearthly. "Wait," She said suddenly with a firm voice, stopping and staring at surprised Fate. "Didn't you say that Arf is your pet?"

"Um," The blonde looked at her feet. That's right, she completely forgot about Arf... "I... She... I mean-"

"Fate!" Suddenly, an orange light flashed before the brunette's eyes and a tall girl, that Nanoha had seen on the picture in Fate's apartment, appeared next to the two. "Huh?" She spotted Nanoha. Pointing at the girl, she turned to Fate and asked. "Who is it?"

"Ah, it's Nanoha, my friend I've told you about." Fate prepared herself for a wave of questions but none of that came.

"Never mind, we'll talk about it later. It's coming." Another flash of orange light blinded Nanoha for a second and in a next while a large, rusty-haired wolf appeared in the place the tall girl was standing.

"Eeh?" The brunette couldn't hide her bewilderment.

"I'll explain it to you later, don't move from here." Fate commanded and flew from the building along with the wolf.

Nanoha watched as the two hung in the air in the middle of the barrier. The area covered by it wasn't too big, the brunette could easily see the movements of both Fate and Arf. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a loud and massive roar coming from the other side of the barrier and Nanoha shivered involuntary. A huge, black mass appeared far before her eyes, changing it's shape rapidly, forming a few pairs of sinister-looking eyes on something that could be called it's front.

Then, a few orange-glowing chains shot from above, immobilizing the monster, making it shake violently and roar even louder. Just when it was about to break free, an electric-yellow projectile, soon followed by more, hit it right in one of it's eyes. Turning her gaze from the black mass, Nanoha looked up, spotting Fate standing on a huge golden circle.

Casting her spell, the blonde sent another volley of magical projectiles in the monster's direction, shaking the ground around them and immersing everything in dust. Coughing, Nanoha tried to see what happened next, hearing Arf's screams and the beast's roars, but a powerful shock wave knocked her down. Another roar followed and suddenly everything died down.

Shaking off the dust from her uniform, Nanoha stood up, looking for Fate when the smoke went down.

"Are you all right?" A concerned voice from behind the brunette made her turn around.

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha ran up to the blonde, who landed on top of the building, and hugged her tightly. Her outfit was covered with dust, a few small scratches here and there, but except for that she looked unharmed. "You- You were so amazing," Nanoha's eyes sparkled as she took her friend's hand in her own two.

"Ah... Thanks," Fate wasn't definitely wasn't expecting things to go this way. "Weren't you scared?" She asked with disbelief.

"I were," The brunette admitted, letting Fate's hand. "But I knew that you're here as well." She added, giggling as the blonde's face flushed lightly. A sound of two clicks made the two girls snap out of their mood as Arf, now in her human form, landed next to them.

Crossing her arms, the orange-haired girl closed her eyes, hiding a pair of additional ears and a long, fluffy tail wagging behind her. She opened them after a while, a serious look on her face. "So, care to explain what's going on here?"

* * *

"I have a bad feeling about this, Fate." Munching her dog feed, Arf rested her back on the couch in their apartment's living-room. "You've promised Precia-sama to stay silent about both magic and your objective."

Fate lay her head on Arf's lap, looking thoughtfully at the pictures on the other side of the room. Indeed, she totally forgot about the promise back then. And if she wanted to bring Nanoha's father back, then eventually she would need to tell Precia about it. "I know Arf but... I didn't want to see Nanoha like this." She answered, closing her eyes and feeling her familiar's fingers running through her hair.

"I understand you but still, taking her with you into the barrier was quite reckless." Arf responded, still stroking Fate's head. "Ah, don't worry about it now. Rest well, we'll talk about it later." She added. The blonde yawned lightly and was ready to fall asleep when a mechanical voice broke the silence in the room.

[Sir, incoming connection from Precia Testarossa.]

Awaken in an instant, Fate sat on the couch. "Answer it," She responded silently.

[Yes sir.]

With that, a large screen popped in front of the blonde's eyes, showing an older woman with black hair and eyes in colour of deep purple. Her skin was pale, her look was mild and she was smiling lightly, however, it was clear that age started taking it's toll on her slowly. "Good evening, Fate, Arf." She greeted her daughter and her familiar.

"Good evening, mother," Fate replied, followed by Arf.

"I've heard that your last few days were quite productive," The woman stated before spotting a bandage on Fate's hand. "What happened?" She asked, fixing her eyes on it. "Does it hurt?"

"Ah," The blonde, seeing her mother's worried look, covered the wounded place with her hand. "Just a little scratch, I'm okay, mother."

"I'm glad that it's nothing major then." Precia gave Fate a smile. "Be careful about yourself."

"Okay," Fate nodded and changed the topic. "How is your research going?"

The woman smiled once again. "Good, I'm almost done, soon I'll need those Jewel Seeds you've managed to collect."

The blonde nodded. "Don't overwork yourself, mother."

"Don't worry," Precia assured the girl. "I have Linith with me after all." As if to prove her words, a short-haired woman with cat ears appeared behind Precia, smiling and waving her hand. Fate and Arf returned the gesture before the blonde's mother spoke once again. "We'll see soon, then we'll talk longer, okay?"

"Mm," Fate agreed.

"I'm sorry that I don't have too much time for you lately," Precia said, looking sadly at her daughter. "But you understand that it's for Alicia's sake, right?"

"I understand, mother." The girl responded silently. Although she liked spending time with her mother, she also wanted to make the woman's dream come true. And this dream was to have Alicia back. After all, she promised to help back then... "Take care of yourself." She added mildly, smiling at her mother.

"And you too, take care." Precia responded, looking at her daughter one more time before the connection ended.

* * *

Nanoha was sitting on the bed in her dark room, watching stars through her window. The thoughts of a certain blonde were lingering in her mind since the time she bade Fate good-bye in the alley some time ago. Just a few hours before, she got to know how dangerous Fate's task truly was. This wound on the girl's arm... She was probably hurt by a thing like the one Nanoha saw earlier. And the brunette couldn't do anything to help her friend. She was useless once again.

A shooting star crossed the night sky in a blink of eye. Closing her eyes, Nanoha started to frantically repeat her wish. _"Let me somehow help Fate-chan."_ After all, she was fed up with being a third wheel.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, done with the first actual chapter. Thanks for reading, I hope that I managed to interest you more with the story.

For those of you demanding explanations and stuff: Don't worry, everything (okay, almost everything) has it's reason and I'll present it sooner or later along with the story's progress. Just be patient.

And by the way, yes, Yuuno will appear in the story.

Well, nothing more to say here, I guess. Just one more slow update and I'll come back with faster writing.

So, thank you and take care.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay, I wrote only a few paragraphs before my exam and I somehow couldn't get myself to writing until Saturday. It's an important chapter so I didn't want it to be rushed and stuff.

Also, I've changed Precia's appearance a little in the previous chapter. Nothing major, I've just got rid of her purple lipstick as I realised that she started using it after going totally crazy. Seeing her in the 1st Movie without it was somehow making her look more 'normal'.

Okay, enough of my ranting, have a good read.

* * *

**Passage to Al Hazard**

**Chapter 2**

**By: Caelion**

Bardiche's mechanical voice rang out loudly as Fate suddenly disappeared from a huge paw's way, only to appear above a raging beast's head, ready to attack.

"Bardiche, Scythe Form!" The blonde commanded, plunging in direction of an enormously big, black panther. The axe in Fate's hands changed it's shape into a scythe, forming a long, electric-yellow energy blade. The girl swiped at the monster with her weapon and cut right through the black matter the beast was composed of. But it was not enough to stop it. The cut off part dispersed and Fate was forced to face a large, this time headless, panther once again.

The blonde dodged swiftly as the beast started charging blindly at her, only to crash the nearest tree in front of it. The monster seemed unaffected. It's neck started to rapidly change it's shape and soon three additional heads grew up from it. Roaring and turning around, the panther prepared to jump at Fate when a large, orange wolf bit in the beast's paw with rage, immobilizing it with magical chains.

"Fate! Now!" Arf shouted, holding the monster with all her might.

[Arc Saber]

The device in Fate's hand beeped and flashed. Swinging the scythe, the blonde sent the rapidly rotating energy blade in the panther's direction.

[Saber Explode] Bardiche flashed once again.

A sudden explosion shook the ground, raising a cloud of dust. The blow was finishing, the beast roared one more time and fell on the ground, glistening and disappearing. In it's place, a small crystal appeared. Fate lifted Bardiche before her, touching the jewel.

[Jewel Seed number six. Captured.] The device informed, turning back to it's axe form.

"Arf, are you okay?" The blonde ran to her familiar, kneeling next to it and touching it's head carefully.

The wolf bared it's teeth, as if smiling, and wiggled it's tail. "Do you think that blow from earlier could knock me out so easily?" Arf released the barrier around them and turned into her human form, sitting on the ground with Fate's help. Her body was covered with wounds, bruises and dry blood here and there.

Fate started inspecting her familiar's injuries closer when another person appeared next to them. "Are you two all right?" Nanoha asked and gasped when she saw Arf's could-be-better state.

"I'm sorry, Nanoha," Fate raised her head, looking at her friend. "I'm afraid I'll not be able to take you home today, I need to take care of Arf for now." She offered her friend an apologetic smile.

"It's okay, Fate-chan, do you need help?" The brunette responded.

"Hey, I'm still here!" Arf interjected and stood up but quickly found herself on the ground again when she suddenly went weak at the knees. "Uh, it's okay, I can go by myself," She stammered as Nanoha and Fate were helping her stand by holding her arms.

"Don't worry," The blonde looked at Nanoha, smiling lightly. "We'll meet tomorrow, okay?"

"Mm," Nanoha nodded and waved as the two few in direction of Fate's apartment.

* * *

Landing on top of the skyscraper, Fate tightened her hold around Arf. The girl was twice as big as her, and just because Arf was trying to fly by herself, the blonde managed to get home with her. Going down the stairs together, although only one floor down, was one of the hardest things in Fate's life. Finally, she opened the door to her apartment and made her way towards her bedroom. Laying Arf down on her bed, Fate went to the bathroom to get a first aid kit, not even bothering with releasing her Barrier Jacket. By the time she got back, her familiar was already sitting and resting her back on a wall.

"Sorry for making so much trouble," The orange-haired girl looked at her lap sadly, her ears drooping.

"It's all right, Arf," Fate sat next to her and opened the kit. "Take off your blouse," She commanded, preparing to clean the girl's wounds. Arf blushed lightly and took the cloth off, exposing her ample chest, still covered by a pink bra. Unaffected by the sight, the blonde started her work. Tentatively, at first, when the familiar winced at her wound's contact with a swab. Then, then she made her moves more firm. "It's a shame that none of us knows any healing spells, isn't it?" Fate asked conversationally, still keeping her eyes fixed on her familiar's injuries.

Arf pondered on this statement for a while before answering. "I guess it's because both of us are warriors."

The blonde sighed lightly. "I know but even one or two spells would be really helpful in our situation." She took a long piece of bandage and started wrapping it around the girl's torso, covering most of her wounds.

"Uh, I'd be a terrible healer, you know?" The wolf-girl laughed but stopped when her mistress looked down.

"I mean, I should have learned some..." Fate responded silently and concentrated on her work once again.

"Fate," Arf raised her hand and touched the blonde's cheek. "Don't blame yourself, Precia-sama will certainly be fine."

"She only looks fine," Fate answered sadly. "But I know that she suffers, she just thinks I didn't notice. Yet she won't say a word about it."

Arf continued gently stroking Fate's cheek. "You two have been through a lot, she just doesn't want to worry you." When the blonde finished, she knelt down next to the bed and laid down her head on her familiar's lap. The orange-haired girl looked at her, surprised, but sighed and took a blanket lying near her, covering Fate with it.

"We have already nine," The girl spoke silently. "Just twelve more and we'll have Alicia back with us."

"Aren't you happy?" Arf asked gently.

"I am," Fate responded. "But we'll have to leave Nanoha, won't we?"

The familiar chuckled lightly. "You've became really fond of her." She pointed, stroking Fate's hair. "And you still take her with us." She added more seriously. "I know that she wants to but still, it's dangerous."

Fate stayed silent, pondering on Arf's words. She didn't like putting Nanoha in danger but how could she resist the brunette's pleading look? So she was trying her best to at least keep those fights as far away from Nanoha as she could, letting the girl watch her in awe. To Fate, the brunette was a special person, her first friend, she knew the pain of missing someone important and she could understand her. It brought them closer to each other, to begin with. Reviving Alicia was Precia's dream Fate wanted to come true. She also wanted to meet her sister and have someone to talk and play with in their huge residence. But in the same time, the thought of leaving Nanoha here, on Earth, was making Fate feel strangely sad and uncertain. Maybe she could somehow talk her mother into moving here? She wanted to go to school along with Nanoha, meet her friends and make her own...

The blonde didn't even notice when she fell asleep.

* * *

"Yes mother, I'll come this evening." Fate spoke, shifting on the sofa in her living-room, looking at her mother's holographic image before her. "I- just want to meet with someone before." She added, seeing Precia's questioning look.

The woman smiled lightly. "Ah, have you found yourself a friend?" She asked mildly and the blonde nodded. "That's all right, I'll wait for your arrival." She waved at her daughter and the screen disappeared.

"Arf, are you sure that you don't want to go with me?" Fate turned to her familiar.

"Nah, it's okay," The girl waved the question off, opening a pack of dog feed. "I'll look for more Jewel Seeds."

"Take care of yourself," The blonde answered. "Your wounds haven't fully healed yet."

Arf crossed her legs, leaning back on the sofa. "Don't worry, I'm tough after all." She raised her free arm and tensed her muscles to prove her point.

Fate chuckled, taking her still warm, half eaten, toast she was munching before her mother's call. She wanted to meet with Nanoha once again before going back to her temporary residence, floating somewhere between dimensions.

The existence of the Gardens of Time, because that was the name of this residence, had never been really explained to Fate. She only knew that her mother had used it a few times before, though it was long time ago and no one, except for Precia herself, could tell her about it. But since their departure from their mother planet Mid Childa, the woman was constantly busy with her researches regarding opening the portal to Al Hazard.

This and her memories from before an accident in which she had lost them. The blonde wanted to get to know everything. But first, she had to find Jewel Seeds and bring Alicia and Nanoha's father back. Her answers could wait.

And so her day passed quickly on searching non-activated Jewel Seeds, sadly, with no results. By the time she finished, the sun started finishing it's everyday journey towards the other side of the world. The blonde flew right to the seashore, smiling when she saw Nanoha there. The brunette waved at her as soon as she spotted her. Fate landed next to the girl, returning the gesture. "Hello," She greeted, sitting arm in arm with her friend.

"Hi there," Nanoha responded cheerfully, looking closely at the blonde's face. She frowned suddenly and spoke. "Is something bothering you?"

Surprised, Fate turned to the girl. Was she so easy to read? "Um," She started clumsily before getting back to watching the setting sun and trying once again. "I won't be able to meet with you tomorrow." She said silently with a hint of sadness in her voice. "Today I'm going back home to give my mother Jewel Seeds I was able to collect."

In response, Nanoha put her hand on top of Fate's. "It's all right," She answered "We'll meet the day after, won't we?" She asked and the blonde responded with a nod. "So it's all right, I'll be here, as always."

Fate couldn't help but smile. Arf was right, she was a lucky girl after all. She couldn't make a better first friend.

Simply sitting and watching the sunset together was enough to make Fate calm again. She was going to come back soon and Nanoha also wasn't going anywhere. But the time to go had come and the blonde had to finally stand up and say her goodbye. By the time she got to her apartment, Arf was already waiting for her on top of the building. Fate stood next to her and started to cast a teleportation spell when her familiar stopped her.

"What's this?" Arf asked, pointing at a small package in Fate's hands.

"Ah, this," The girl smiled. "An earthly present for mother and Linith." She explained. "Nanoha suggested buying something sweet as a gift." A large, yellow circle appeared on the floor again as Fate concentrated on her spell.

"Take care!"

The blonde heard as the warm light of her magic wrapped around her. A sudden feeling of suction pulled her back to reality. She shut her eyes tightly, not daring to look what was going on around her. She opened them after a few seconds, when the feeling ended, finding herself in a huge, and somewhat cold, hall.

Walking on a long, red carpet, Fate was wandering through many different rooms and chambers, each of them as huge as the hall she was in before, if not bigger. There was one with a golden throne in it, standing in the middle, surrounded by tall pillars. Empty. Just like her mother's office, although significantly smaller than other rooms, it's size was still impressive. Entering Precia's bedroom, Fate found the woman sitting on her bed with Linith behind her, massaging her back.

"I'm home, mother," Letting them know about her presence, the blonde stepped into the dimly illuminated room.

"Welcome home, Fate." Precia turned to her daughter, smiling and gesturing her to come closer. She stood up and hugged the girl, watching her carefully. "I'm glad that you're all right." She said when she didn't spot any injuries on her body. "How did it go?" She asked, sitting down to have her back massaged by Linith again.

Fate sat on a chair standing near the bed. "It was fine," She answered briefly before going into details. "I've made my first friend," Smiling at the memory of laughing Nanoha, and seeing Precia doing the same, Fate continued. "Her name is Nanoha, she's my age."

"I'm glad then," The woman responded, raising her hand and cupping her daughter's cheek. "Do you get along well?" She asked and the girl nodded her head. Then, Fate remembered about the gift when Precia coughed suddenly. Once, at first, bringing her hand to her mouth. Then, the second cough followed, and the next one, quickly turning into a serious coughing fit.

"Precia!" Linith put her hand on the woman's arm.

"I'm- okay," Precia stammered, breathing roughly, trying to calm down.

Fate looked at her with concern. "Mother, have you been taking your medicine properly?"

"Don't worry," The woman answered, clenching her fist to hide a few drops of blood. "I'm fine." She assured the girl, caressing her cheek with other hand.

* * *

The next day, Fate woke up quite early, but still not early enough to catch her mother sleeping. The huge bed she was in was already empty. The girl put on her slippers and opened the bedroom's door, only to bump on fully clothed Linith. "Ah, good morning," She said, looking at her nanny.

"Good morning, Fate. Precia is already waiting for you with breakfast." The familiar informed happily, leading the blonde to a large dining-room.

Greeting her mother, Fate sat at the table, next to the woman. She took a fork and started to eat. Somehow, she was feeling more hungry than usually. "You wanted me to bring Jewel Seeds, am I right, mother?" She asked when they finished their meal.

"They'll be necessary in the next phase of my researches," Precia responded. "How many have you managed to get?"

"I have nine for now." Fate answered and sighed.

"Only so few..." Precia scratched her chin thoughtfully.

Their talk was suddenly interrupted by Arf. A large screen popped up in the room, showing the girl. Her face had a serious look and she seemed in hurry. "Fate, I've found a Jewel Seed," She started straightforwardly, looking at Fate. "It's powerful, I don't think we've seen something like that before."

The blonde stood up, looking at her mother. The woman just nodded her head. "Take care." She told her quickly and watched as her daughter left the dining-room.

Running through the empty halls, Fate was trying to get more information from Arf. "Where is it? Have you set up a barrier already? Send coordinates to Bardiche, I'll be right there."

"Near the city centre, I've managed to trap it inside a barrier before it fully activated but..." The familiar looked away, scratching her cheek thoughtfully.

"But...?" Fate questioned, finally getting into the teleportation chamber. She pulled out Bardiche and set up her Barrier Jacket.

"Um, you'll see by yourself." Arf finished and disconnected as the blonde was casting her spell.

Fate landed on top of a tall building, next to Arf. "Ready?" She asked without delay, seeing what they had to defeat this time. The Jewel Seed took a form of a tall, ghostly woman. She was almost as big as buildings surrounding her. Her left fist was closed and raised before her, as if she was holding something. Her dirty-white, tattered robe was flapping behind her as she was wandering between houses and skyscrapers.

"Yes," The other girl responded. "But we have to be careful, there is... someone trapped there."

"Huh?" Taken by surprise, the blonde looked at her familiar.

"Apparently the Seed was activated by a human." The orange-haired girl explained as the two flew closer to the monster.

Fate prepared her scythe, ready to attack the ghostly creature in every moment. As the distance between them became shorter, she was able to see more and more details. But there was something familiar which caught her eye. A head with brown hair could be seen between the monster's left hand's fingers.

The blonde felt as if something incredibly heavy appeared in her stomach and a cold sweat covered her whole body. "Nanoha!" She shouted, plunging towards the girl, raising her weapon to cut off the creature's hand.

"Fate! Wait!" Arf shot forward, trying to catch her mistress but it was too late. Alarmed by their screams, the monster turned around, and with one sweep of it's claws, sent both Fate and her familiar on the nearest wall. Fixing it's empty eyes on the two, it started to slowly walk towards them, letting out an ear-piercing sound and raising it's hand to attack again.

Softening the collision with her spell, Arf caught half-conscious Fate in her arms, flying away from the raging phantom. "Are you okay?" She asked, landing on the other side of the barrier.

The blonde moved slightly, wincing from the pain. "I think my arm is broken." She stammered. "What's with Nanoha?"

"Fate!" Arf scolded her with shaky voice. "Why can't you worry about yourself more? You could have... died back then!"

Fate smiled lightly, raising her fine hand to caress her familiar's cheek. "I'm sorry, Arf, but I have to rescue her." With pain, she managed to sit and rest her back on a street lamp.

Arf covered the blonde's hand with her own. "I know," She responded sadly. "We'll save her. I promise."

Holding the orange-haired girl's arm, Fate managed to stand up and the two flew in the direction of the monster again.

"Be careful, don't get too close." Arf warned seriously.

Fate's right arm was hanging limply while she was holding Bardiche in her left one. She gripped the weapon tighter as it's yellow gem blinked twice.

[We'll manage, Sir!]

"I'll try to immobilize it with chains." The familiar informed, changing her course, and flew behind the creature.

Stopping about ten meters from the ghost, Fate moved to it's left side and a magic circle appeared beneath her.

"_Ready?"_ She heard Arf's voice in her head and confirmed.

Just in the moment the monster spotted the blonde, orange-glowing chains shot from above, twining around it's arms and legs.

"Fate! Now!" The girl's shout broke the silence.

[Thunder Bullet]

Bardiche blinked and electric-yellow projectiles appeared around Fate, only to dash in direction of the phantom's left arm with a speed of light. A shock wave and a high-pitched scream broke all windows in nearby buildings. Struggling to stay in the air, Fate saw Arf catching falling Nanoha. The pain in the blonde's right arm increased and her vision blurred. A deaf squeal was still lingering in her ears. In the dim light of the barrier, the monster moved and twisted, breaking it's chains. As if through thick fog, Fate saw a giant, pale hand reaching out for her, it's long claws almost entwining around her. [Defenser.] A golden bulb surrounded the girl, protecting her from the monster, only to shatter in an instant. The blonde tried to move and dodge but her whole body felt strangely limp. When fear paralysed her, she could feel no pain. Only the whole world spinning around her as a powerful punch sent her back on the ground.

But collision with the concrete road had never been so soft. Darkness started to slowly creep in her field of vision and even her right arm didn't hurt so much. "-ate!" Had someone called her? But it was so good to fall asleep... "Fate!" The voice was somehow familiar. "Fate! Please, wake up!" Just stop it. Going back won't do anything good-

"Fate-chan!"

Nanoha. Fate's mind reacted in an instant to the second voice calling her. She was glad that the brunette was okay after all. And she was a little sad that they couldn't spend more time with each other.

"Fate-chan..."

The same pleading voice. Just as when she wanted to go with her and Arf. No, this time it was more desperate and sad. Fate wanted to tell her that everything will be all right. But no words left her mouth. She struggled to open her eyes. But were they even closed? Suddenly, she felt an indescribable fear engulfing her. Was she dying? But... It was too early for her, she had so much things to do, so many important people to talk with, her mother, Alicia, Arf... Nanoha...

Nanoha

"Na- no- ha-"

"Fate-chan!"

Concentrating all of her willpower on not falling asleep, Fate was struggling to stay alive. Slowly, her vision started to come back to her. She tried to move but she still couldn't, as if something heavy was pining her down to the ground.

"Lie still, a few of your bones are broken." Arf informed her with a caring voice, looking frantically at Fate, then at the ravaging monster in the middle of the barrier.

"What... happened?" Fate stammered, seeing both her familiar and the brunette kneeling next to her.

"Arf-san caught you before you hit the ground." Nanoha explained, giving her a worried look.

"What about... it?" The blonde asked, remembering why she fell in the first place.

Arf greeted her teeth and clenched her fists. "If it's going to stay this way, it'll finally break the barrier."

"I- must go." Again, Fate tried to sit down but a sudden wave of pain met her, making her wince and stop her efforts. So they were stuck. The monster was going to destroy Arf's barrier and then the whole city. All because of her. All because she was too reckless in her actions.

A nightmarish scream and laugh pulled the blonde out of her thoughts. She felt the ground shaking violently as a cloud of dust rose above them.

"Damn, we were found out!" Arf stood up hastily, changing into a wolf. "I'll buy you some time, hide yourself!" With that, she jumped on their opponent.

Fate wanted to protest. She wanted to stop her familiar from going to a certain death but her voice was too weak to reach the girl's ears. She shut her eyes tightly, fearing to see anything more. _"Please, someone help us..."_ She begged. She didn't want it to end like this.

"Did you say something?" Nanoha stopped looking around frantically, fixing her eyes on the blonde.

Fate gazed at Nanoha, surprised. Had she...?

"You've just called for help, haven't you?" The brunette watched the other girl carefully.

"You... heard this?" Fate stammered and a small light of hope appeared in her.

"Mm," Nanoha nodded. "It was strange, as if you were talking inside of my head."

Fate gazed at her friend, flabbergasted. Why hadn't she noticed this earlier? She hesitated for a while but there was nothing more she could do. "Please, help me, Nanoha," She pleaded finally. It was their only chance. Their last chance.

"What do you need me to do?" Nanoha asked in hurry.

"Bardiche, release Barrier Jacket." The blonde commanded weakly.

[Barrier Jacket released.]

"Set up a temporary profile for a new user."

[Profile set up.]

The device blinked and Nanoha's eyes widened when she understood what Fate wanted her to do. Taking Bardiche from Fate's open hand, the brunette looked at the golden triangle. "Um, what should I do now?"

"Close your eyes and clear your mind. When you're ready, repeat after me." Fate explained quickly. "Don't be afraid, he will tell you what to do." She added. When Nanoha nodded her head, the blonde started to recite her incantation. "Raging thunders. Violent storms."

"R- Raging thunders. Violent storms." Nanoha repeated obediently.

"An invincible vengeance in my eyes."

"An invincible vengeance in my eyes."

"Send my enemies to where they came from."

"Send my enemies to where they came from!" Nanoha felt the device in her hands glowing brightly with a warm light. With all might she had, she finished the incantation. "Bardiche, set up!" The light engulfed her whole body and suddenly she had found herself in the middle of a golden sphere.

[Welcome, Sir.]

Bardiche's voice reached Nanoha's ears. "Um, nice to meet you," She responded uncertainly, not knowing what to do next.

[You were qualified to use me as your device. Let me choose the best configuration of your Barrier Jacket and your weapon based on your personal taste.]

"O- okay," The brunette answered and the sphere around her glowed.

[Get set!]

Suddenly, Nanoha's clothes disappeared. "Eeh?" She covered herself as the mechanical voice broke the silence around her.

[Barrier Jacket, set up!]

The light seemed to glow even harder. Entwining around Nanoha, it took a form of a Barrier Jacket similar to the one used by Fate, but with red and brown elements replaced by blue ones.

[Axe form!]

The triangle-shaped gem, hanging before the brunette's eyes, blinked and dispersed, only to appear again in a form of a huge axe in Nanoha's hand. After a short while, everything disappeared and the girl was standing near Fate again, facing the monster. With a corner of her eye, she saw Arf lying not far from them, not moving and still in her wolf form.

"_Nanoha, look out!"_

She heard the blonde's voice in her head and saw the ghostly claws plunging towards her. "Eeh?! What should I do?!" As if in response to her question, the device in her hands glittered twice.

[Defenser.] A golden light glowed in front of Nanoha, parrying the blow.

In a blink of eye, the brunette found herself hanging in the air, high above the ground. The creature beneath her turned it's blank eyes towards her, reaching out it's open hand once again.

[Round Shield.]

The gem in Bardiche's blade blinked and a round, yellow circle appeared between Nanoha and the monster, blocking it's attack again. [Sir, how advanced are you in using magic?] The device asked mechanically.

"Eh?!" The brunette looked at the axe with surprise. "Not advanced at all!" She responded, looking frantically at the ghost trying to break through her protecting spell.

[Then let me guide you through available spells and moves.]

"O- Okay," Nanoha nodded.

[Blitz Action.]

Once again, she disappeared, right in the moment when the phantom broke her shield. Turning around violently and sweeping a few buildings' roofs, it started to slowly move towards the brunette.

[Here is our chance, Sir.] The device informed suddenly.

"Um, what should I do?"

[Transfer your imaginary attack into a real one.]

"Imaginary attack?"

[In other words, imagine the spell you want to use and I'll let you do so.]

"Uh," Nanoha closed her eyes, trying to concentrate and remember what Fate was doing in her situation. "Got it!" She shouted and the device blinked in response. A magic circle appeared under the girl's legs and Nanoha felt as if a new, strange power was overflowing her.

[Glaive Form, get set!] The blade of the axe opened and turned, making the weapon even longer. Three, electric-yellowish and long spikes appeared around it's gem. [Sir, target the enemy and fire.]

Fixing her eyes on the monster, Nanoha rose the device, directing it towards the creature. [Spark Smasher] Bardiche flashed and the brunette felt as the power was flowing through her hands right to the golden gem.

The distance between her and the phantom was reduced to only a few meters and the ghost rose it's claws once again.

Nanoha gripped the weapon harder and shouted. "Shoot!" A huge blast of energy shot towards her opponent, easily breaking it in two and destroying a few buildings behind it. The shock wave knocked the girl down but she managed to fly higher and watch the damage caused by her spell.

[Sir, your magic is very powerful.] Bardiche praised her as she was panting lightly. Somehow, all of this made her strangely tired.

"T- Thank you, Bardiche." Nanoha responded. Looking around, her eyes suddenly stopped on her friend she had to leave for a while. "Fate-chan!" She called, flying towards the girl. She landed next to her and knelt down.

"Nanoha," Fate looked at her and smiled. "Are you all right?" The brunette looked good in her own Barrier Jacket.

Nanoha wanted to answer but her words were drowned in the creature's piercing scream.

[Sir, we still need to seal the Jewel Seed.] Bardiche informed and the girl nodded her head, standing up. Only to get knocked down again by a huge explosion, followed by a bright light illuminating the barrier.

"It won't be necessary." A woman's voice came suddenly from above. When dust around them went down, Nanoha saw a person descending from the sky. Her long hair were floating gently in the air. She was holding a long staff in her right hand and a small crystal was glistening in her left one.

"Mother," Fate said weakly, following the person with her eyes.

"M- Mother?" Nanoha asked, looking at her friend and turning to the woman again.

Coming closer to the two, Precia fixed her eyes on her daughter. "I'm sorry that I didn't arrive earlier." Then, she turned to the brunette, spotting her outfit and the device she was holding. "You've saved Fate, didn't you?" She asked mildly, making both Jewel Seed and her own staff disappear suddenly.

Nanoha looked down when she realised what exactly happened before. "Um, I just- I mean-"

"She did," Fate answered instead of her.

"Then you have a very talented friend." The woman said, kneeling next to the blonde and putting hand on the girl's stomach. "But I think you owe me some explanations." Fate's body suddenly started to glow and rose from the ground, along with Precia.

Fate sighed lightly, closing her eyes. "Yes, mother." The talk was going to be difficult. But Arf promised to help her, after all. Suddenly, the blonde felt a sharp sting of pain in her heart and her eyes opened again abruptly. "What happened with Arf?" She asked with fear.

Precia put her hand on the floating girl's forehead reassuringly. "She's unconscious but fine, Linith has already taken care of her." Fate let out a sigh of relief. Then, the woman looked at Nanoha. "You're Nanoha Takamachi, aren't you?" She asked and the girl confirmed with a nod. "I'm Precia Testarossa, Fate's mother. Thank you for saving my daughter's life." She said, bowing her head lightly.

"Ah," Nanoha looked at her feet again. "Fate-chan is my friend so I... it's... nothing major..." She murmured.

"However," Precia continued, still watching the girl carefully. "I'd like you to go with me for a little while, I think we need to clear a few things up." When Nanoha raised her head abruptly, the woman added. "Don't worry, you'll be home before the evening."

"Okay," The brunette nodded. "Ah, that's right," She remembered that she was still in the Barrier Jacket, gripping Bardiche tightly. "Um, Bardiche," She started and the device beeped.

[Barrier Jacket, release.]

Nanoha's clothes changed into her school uniform in an instant while the axe turned into the golden triangle again. Putting it back into Fate's hand, the girl smiled weakly at her friend, meeting her eyes and interlacing their fingers.

Precia tried to not chuckle at those small displays of affection between the two but they needed to go. Fate was wounded after all and they had to talk some things over. Clearing her throat a little louder than usually, she started casting a teleportation spell. "Better close your eyes for now." She turned to Nanoha as the world around them blinked and disappeared.

Following the woman's advice, Nanoha kept her eyes closed tightly and opened them only when a strange feeling of suction ended and Fate assured her that they arrived to her place. The brunette looked around in awe, admiring the huge hall they were in. Following Precia, and levitating next to her Fate, Nanoha got to a large bedroom. Another person was waiting there for them, the grey-haired woman from the picture from Fate's apartment.

"Take care of her, Linith." Precia spoke to the woman, gently lying Fate on a king-size bed.

"Yes." Linith answered simply and bent over the blonde, asking her a few questions before summoning a green light into her hands.

"Let's go, let her rest for now." Precia turned to Nanoha mildly, leading her through another set of long halls, right to her office. "Please, sit down," She offered the girl a fancy chair to sit on. "Would you like to drink something?" She asked, sitting behind her desk.

"Um, maybe a glass of water if it's not a problem." Nanoha responded shyly, casting curious glances at her surrounding. The office was a long room with a red carpet going through it's whole length. There were two cabinets, one on the right side of the desk and the other one on the left side.

Precia chuckled lightly. "No need to be so formal, every friend of my daughter is welcome here," She said, taking a glass and a bottle of water from a shelf behind the desk. "Though I'd rather to have you here in more favourable circumstances." She added sadly, pouring the liquid and handing the glass to the brunette.

Nanoha drank the water in a few gulps, clearing her throat from the dust she breathed in earlier.

The woman shifted in her chair, leaning back on it and resting her head on her hand. "I'm sorry for pulling you into this," She said and sighed. "But in the same time I'm glad. Without you, Fate would probably had joined her sister..."

"Alicia-san..." Nanoha repeated the girl's name silently.

"Ah, I guess that Fate has already told you about her." Precia noticed and continued. "You two must be really good friends, she doesn't open herself to anybody." When the brunette muttered silent 'thank you', the woman went on. "I don't want you to get me wrong but I must ask this, how much do you know? About Fate and magic?"

Nanoha expected this question to come. She told Precia everything that happened since their first meeting. About her own family, about Fate's story, about Jewel Seed hunts the blonde was taking her on. And about the promise Fate gave her.

When she finished, Precia closed her eyes, sighing and shaking her head. "What a reckless girl, I swear..." She took a deep breath and coughed a few times.

"Testarossa-san," Nanoha started uncertainly. "It's not really Fate-chan's fault, she just wanted to help..." She looked at the woman with a hint of fear. Fate being punished because of her was the last thing she wanted to see.

Precia rose her eyebrows lightly, fixing her eyes on the brunette. "Don't worry, I won't punish her," She said and backed her words up with a weak smile. "But I'll have a serious talk with her when she gets better." Opening the desk's drawer, the woman picked up a small bottle, opened it and took out a white pill. "Now, there's one more thing left," She added, swallowing the pill. "Since you were pulled in this without your will, you may choose yourself something you want in recompense for your help. Don't be afraid to pick up something fancy, you shouldn't go through all of this in the first place." The woman said gently.

Nanoha opened her mouth to say that it wasn't necessary but a better idea came to her mind. "I want to help Fate-chan." She stated firmly. "I've seen how dangerous it is and I want to help her."

For Precia, this day was already full of surprises. But to think that there were even more to come... "I admit that I'm impressed by your power. It's something rare to see on unadministrated planets." She spoke, looking at the girl with a serious look. "But are you sure that you want to do this?"

"I am." Nanoha responded instantly.

"Good then," The woman rose from her seat, leading the girl back to the teleportation chamber. So not only was her power impressive but also her determination.

* * *

Fate turned her head weakly towards the door which opened silently. Precia entered the room, sitting on the edge of the bed, placing her hand on top of her daughter's. "How are you feeling?" She asked with concern.

"I'm fine, Linith managed to put me together again." The blonde answered, offering a small smile. "How your talk with Nanoha went?" She queried in return.

"Good, she has told me a few interesting things." Precia stated mysteriously and Fate gulped. "For example, I thought I've asked you to keep your powers a secret." She said nonchalantly. "And to keep the whole Jewel Seed case _far_ away from those who are uninvolved in it." The woman rose her free hand, watching her nails carefully.

Not having any particular options left, Fate decided to play her mother's little game. "So... What else has she told you, mother?"

"She asked me to let her help you." Precia looked into her daughter's eyes.

Although already knowing the response, the blonde decided to ask anyway. "And what was your answer?"

"I said that I'll see what I can do." The woman smiled lightly. Apparently, not only her day was full of surprises.

* * *

**A/N:** A word or two about the second monster. To clear things out, yes, Nanoha created it by accidentally finding a Jewel Seed on her way to school. You can interpret it in the way that the girl's secret wish was to meet her father once again, and thanks to the Jewel Seed's power, Death herself came to take her to him. Obviously, it's just a metaphor since it was only the Seed's form of manifestation.

A word about spells. "Round Shield" and "Blitz Action" are spells used by Fate in the Movie 1st and the first TV season, though I don't think their names were ever told in the series. I took the names from Nanoha Wiki.

A word about Bardiche's activation spell. Since Bardiche doesn't have one, and I supposed he should, I based it on the one for Raising Heart. Unfortunately, I'm not a poet so it's up to you to decide if it was appropriate one or not. I tried to make references to Fate's magic based on lightnings and the offensive style of her fighting, making the device simply designed for attacking instead of protecting.

Also, a word about Linith's healing magic. I believe that, being a nanny and stuff, she was able to perform simple healing spells.

And yeah, I mix the TV series with the Movie and my own ideas here.

That's it for today, thanks for reading and see you next time. I hope the next update will come faster.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hello there. Uh, this update was supposed to be faster and yet... Sorry, writing had been really difficult for me lately, I had days during which I couldn't write a single sentence without forcing it out.

FFLurker: Thanks for your feedback, as well as other guests commenting the story. According to Nanoha Wiki, Flash Move was a spell used by Nanoha to counter Fate's Blitz Action ^^ Don't worry, I've also mixed up those two spells.

All right, I'll rant more in the ending author's notes. I hope you'll like this chapter, enjoy.

* * *

**Passage to Al Hazard**

**Chapter 3**

**By: Caelion**

_It was a beautiful day. A great one for a picnic under the blue sky. Sitting on a blanket, in the middle of a meadow, a dark-haired woman was spending her time with her daughter. "Alicia, is there anything that you want for your birthday?" Precia turned to the girl._

"_Let me think..." The little blonde next to the woman scratched her chin, pondering about the question. "I want a baby sister!" She exclaimed suddenly, making her mother blush lightly. "If I had a sister, I wouldn't be lonely when you're away," The girl explained, her eyes lightening up. "And we could do all sorts of stuff to help you!" She added happily._

"_Well, that's true, but..." Precia started uncertainly, trying to change her daughter's mind._

"_I want a sister! Promise me, mommy!" Alicia gave her mother a pleading look, putting out her right hand's pinky in direction of the confused woman._

_The battle had been lost before it even started. Not having any other options left, because a refusal was not an option, Precia smiled mildly, catching her daughter's finger with her own._

_Alicia's expression brightened even more, if that was even possible. She was going to have a little sister! What would be her name? Would they be similar to each other?_

Fate opened her eyes sharply. It was that dream again. One of her- no, one of her sister's memories she had, buried somewhere deep in her mind. She sighed silently, looking at the celling and thinking about this retrospection she had a while ago.

Dreams like this one were making the blonde feel strangely sad and nostalgic. And they were always making her wonder how would her life looked like if Alicia hadn't died. How would it be like to have a kind and gentle older sister? Would she be like Linith? Calm and wise, guiding her through difficulties of her life. Or maybe she would be more like Arf? Always full of energy but still reserved enough to be more of her partner-in-training than of a friend. And on top of that all, would she even love her?

Fate was definitely a caring person. She was still very young but she cared for people she loved, just like others cared for her. There was a point in her life when she was feeling sad and unwanted. But then, happier days had come and brightened her world. But along with them, the secret regarding her sister had been revealed to her. The older she was getting, the more she understood from those short reminders of Alicia's life which haunted her from time to time. Mostly at night, because the time made her eventually forget what was supposed to replace her own memories. The memories she wanted to know.

Her mother was rather reluctantly talking about this accident. Or to be more precise, she wasn't talking about it at all. It was just something Fate had to accept over the years and she had learned that none of her questions would be answered. Then again, she was too young to care about it anyway. But even if she had accepted the truth quite easily, it didn't devoid her of her will to know her 'true' memories, instead of having the ones of her sister's.

Sighing once more, Fate sat on her bed, careful to not wake up Arf sleeping next to her. Apparently, two beds in the apartment hadn't convince the familiar to stop being clingy to her master, even at night. Going to the bathroom and washing her face, Fate made a short list of things she had to do. And there were a few of them. First of all, she had to hurry up to Nanoha's house before the girl left to school.

After eating a few toasts for breakfast, the blonde scanned her wardrobe, looking for some clothes to wear, finally picking up a black summer dress barely covering her thighs. Adding a black knee-high boots to it, she looked at herself in a mirror. She loved darker colours, both her mother and Linith were always saying that black was going well with her eyes and hair colour. Tying up her hair into two twin ponytails with her favourite ribbons, also black, she looked at herself one more time, pleased with her appearance. With a silent 'I'm leaving', she opened the door to her apartment and made her way towards the rooftop.

As soon as Fate went outside, she pulled out Bardiche and put her Barrier Jacket on. After a few minutes of flying, she was hanging high above Nanoha's house. When the brunette showed herself, the girl went after her, hovering high enough to not be seen. Following an orange bus Nanoha got in, Fate had finally reached her destination. Which was nothing else than her friend's school. The blonde looked at the place from the sky. So this was where the brunette was spending half of her day. The school grounds were surrounded by a wire fence, preventing strangers from entering. "Bardiche, what's the local time and day?" Fate asked, raising her right hand.

[8.30am, Saturday, Sir.] The device responded, blinking with a golden light.

"Thank you, Bardiche." Scratching her chin lightly, the blonde tried to remember a certain conversation she had with Nanoha about the earthly week being divided into seven days. If it was Saturday, then it meant that the brunette was going to finish her classes at noon. The earlier, the better. Turning around, the blonde flew back to her apartment. She was going to come back later.

* * *

Since the last accident with Jewel Seeds, Fate and Arf had a quite difficult time with coming back to searching the Logia like they used to do before. The familiar, being injured twice almost in a row, willy-nilly had to take her time to let her body heal fully. Fate had it no better, even after magically healing her bones, her ability to fight dropped down drastically. And eventually, after many try-outs and failed attempts to get up and train, she accepted the truth that she had to simply rest before getting back to her old, good shape.

Finally, after almost eight days, the time had come to go back on Earth. Fate was really excited to see Nanoha again. Especially with the news she had to deliver to her. Waiting near the girl's school gate, the blonde was looking nervously at a large digital clock hanging on a wall of one of many buildings surrounding her. It was almost noon and the sunlight made the girl regret dressing in black. Fate sat down on a bench near the entrance and crossed her legs. She rested her chin on her hand and watched as a luxury limousine stopped in front of the gate. The car's driver got out and opened the back passenger's door. Just in time to let a short, violet-haired girl get inside, followed by a blonde and... "Nanoha!" Fate stood up from the bench, waving to her friend.

"Fate-chan," The girl waved back, getting curious looks from her two companions. "Ah, this is my new friend I've told you about," The brunette turned to the two, gesturing at Fate.

The blonde suddenly felt speechless when she heard a silent 'wow' and two new pairs of eyes rested on her, watching her with interest. "Um, I'm Fate Testarossa, nice to meet you." She introduced herself and bowed lightly, just like Nanoha had taught her once.

The violet-haired girl spoke first. "I'm Tsukimura Suzuka, nice to meet you too." She smiled and bowed back.

"Arisa Bannings, likewise." The other blonde followed and fixed her green eyes on Fate. "Nanoha was right," She said suddenly. "You really are pretty."

Fate's cheeks burned red at the praise. Seeing Nanoha smiling apologetically, she responded sheepishly. "T- Thank you."

"Miss, I'm sorry to interrupt but you'll be late for your cram school classes." The driver turned to Suzuka, still standing and holding the door.

"So, we'll meet on Monday," Nanoha went to Fate's side, waving to her friends.

"Um, see you!" Suzuka returned the wave and so did Arisa, getting into the car.

When the limousine left, the brunette looked at Fate, taking her hand into her own. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" She asked mildly. "I'm glad you're fine again."

"Mm, I'm okay now. Good to see you again." The blonde responded and started walking with Nanoha by her side.

"By the way," The other girl asked with apparent curiosity. "How did you know where my school is?"

"Ah, I followed you this morning." Fate answered. "Sorry," She added apologetically.

"Nah, no problem, I'm actually quite pleasantly surprised," Nanoha waved it off. "You haven't contacted me for days, I didn't know when you were going to come back here."

"Actually, I came to deliver some news for you, that's why I decided to wait here." The blonde admitted, watching as her friend's expression turned from just cheerful into a happily curious one. "My mother agreed to let you help us and she invites you for a few days to our place. Would you like to come?"

The brunette looked at the other girl, almost exclaiming 'of course I would'. "Mm!" She nodded enthusiastically. "I just need to get a permission from my mom, and my school starts on Monday again so I need to be back tomorrow before the evening."

"That's all right," Fate answered mildly. "I'll wait for you today at 2pm in the alley, just come if you'll be able to go."

Chatting all their way to Nanoha's house, the distance they passed seemed somehow not long enough to say everything they wanted to. They talked about almost all that happened in those eight days during which they couldn't see each other. Starting with Fate's tries to come back to a good shape, going through Nanoha's school life and finally getting to the topic of the brunette's involvement in the Jewel Seed case.

"Mother was a little reluctant to it at first," Fate explained, asked by Nanoha if her help wouldn't be more of a trouble. "But I've managed to convince her finally."

"Thanks," Nanoha gripped her friend's hand a little harder, suddenly realising that she was holding it for their whole way. "Helping you means a lot to me."

"I know," The blonde responded playfully. "So, we'll meet later, I hope so." She said when they stopped in front of Nanoha's house.

"Mm, we will." The brunette smiled and went inside. "I'm home!" She called, changing her shoes and deciding to go straight to her mother.

"Welcome home, Nanoha!" She heard her mother's soft voice calling her suddenly from the kitchen. "Come here for a second!"

"Yes!" The girl replied, going in the direction of the voice calling her.

"You seem happy, with whom were you talking a moment ago?" Momoko asked, looking curiously at her daughter. "I saw you when I went upstairs to your room." She added, seeing the girl's surprised expression.

"Um, it was my new friend, Fate-chan," The shorter brunette responded, sitting on a chair, near her mother. "She's invited me to a sleepover at her place today."

"Ah, so that's why you're in such a good mood, isn't it?" The woman spoke gently, getting back to preparing a dinner.

"Mhm, it is," Nanoha admitted, getting up to help. "Can I go? Please?" She asked, hoping for a positive response.

Momoko stayed silent for a while, pondering about the case. "I guess you're responsible enough to ask me this time," She said, making her daughter sigh mentally when she got the reference to her last night escapade. "When are you planning to come back home?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, probably," Nanoha answered immediately, hoping for a good outcome. "Does it mean you agree?"

The woman sighed lightly and smiled to herself. "It does," She confirmed and the girl next to her hugged her suddenly.

"Thank you, mom," Nanoha tightened her hold around her mother's waist, thinking about what she had to pack and take with her.

* * *

Fate didn't have to wait for too long. No more than ten minutes passed, since she had landed in the alley, when she saw Nanoha running in her direction and waving cheerfully. The blonde returned the gesture, watching the girl. It was the first time she had seen her in something else than her regular, white, school uniform. The brunette was dressed in a short, red skirt and a white top with pink stripes. On her feet she wore matching, red sandals and a small backpack was hanging on her arm.

"Ready to go?" Fate asked, receiving a nod. "Be careful to not lose your sandals during the flight." She warned, and before Nanoha could respond, she picked her up like a princess and soared fast above the ground.

"Ah!" The brunette squealed, holding her backpack with one hand and hanging the other one around her friend's neck. The flight wasn't too long, after a short while they landed on top of the skyscraper Fate was living in. And waiting for them was no one other than Arf. "Good afternoon, Arf-san," Nanoha greeted the girl.

"Good to see you again, Nanoha," The familiar replied with a grin. "Thank you for saving us back then. We'd have surely died without you."

"D- Don't say it like that," Nanoha waved it off. She still had to get used to the thought that she'd saved someone's life.

The brunette went to Fate's side when the girl called her, saying that they'd reach the Gardens shortly. She felt the blonde's hand on her own and gripped it lightly, being engulfed by a golden light. Suddenly, she felt as if she was sucked into a huge vacuum, the light disappeared and everything around her looked like a fast-forwarding space film. Stars started spinning around her, blackness turning into a mix of dark green and violet, and the girl felt as if her stomach was spinning along with them. She shut her eyes tightly and opened them when she felt Fate gently pulling her hand.

"You look sick," The blonde stated seriously. "Have you kept your eyes open?" She questioned with concern.

Nanoha only nodded her head, feeling as if every attempt of opening her mouth could end badly for her stomach. "What was that?" She asked when she calmed down.

"We were travelling through dimensions, that's why you should keep your eyes closed during that." Fate explained, leading her friend to Precia's office.

"I'll wait for you in the laboratory." Arf said, taking a different direction.

Nanoha recognised the door to Fate's mother's room. After getting permission to enter, the two girls stepped inside. "Good morning, Testarossa-san," The brunette greeted and bowed, right after passing the doorstep.

"Welcome, Nanoha, Fate." Precia was sitting behind her desk with her legs crossed. She put down notes she was holding and looked at the two. "Has Fate already told you why I wanted to meet with you?" She turned to Nanoha mildly.

"Um, she told me that it's about my request..." The brunette answered shyly.

"Then I'll just ask you one more time, are you sure that you want to do this?" The woman asked seriously, fixing her eyes on the girl.

"Yes." Nanoha responded firmly with no hesitation.

"Good," Precia got up from her seat. "Then I'll show you what I can offer you." Leading them through a labyrinth of halls and chambers, the black-haired woman stopped abruptly before passing a silver door with a small digital keyboard attached to them.

Receiving another questioning look, Nanoha nodded her head once more and Precia entered a password, opening the door.

Behind them was a medium-sized laboratory with a large tube standing in the middle of the room. Inside it, was floating a small necklace in shape of a silver circle with a sapphire gem in it's centre. Next to the tube, Arf was looking closely at the device, and in a back of the room, behind a set of computers, was sitting Linith. "I've just made the last corrections," The woman spoke, turning to the rest. "It should work flawlessly."

Nanoha watched the necklace with open mouth, gently touching the glass dividing them.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Fate pulled the girl out of her thoughts, making her look at the blonde.

"It's name is Voulge," Precia explained. "Linith designed it as a device similar to Bardiche in a way."

"Voulge..." Nanoha repeated the name absently, fixing her eyes on the azure gem once again.

"You probably want to try it out, don't you?" Linith asked, walking to the tube and pulling a few triggers, causing the device to rest softly on the tube's bottom. Then, she removed the glass. "Don't be shy, take it." She encouraged the girl.

Carefully, as if dealing with something incredibly fragile, Nanoha touched the warm necklace, taking it into her hand.

[Welcome, Ma'am.] The device spoke with it's digital voice, similar to Bardiche's, and blinked with a bluish light.

"Um, hello, Voulge," The brunette responded, surprised by the greeting.

"Come on," Fate grabbed Nanoha's arm suddenly. "I'll show you our training ground."

"Um, wait a second," Nanoha stopped the girl. "Thank you very much!" She looked at Precia and Linith. Receiving two smiles in response, she bowed and turned around to follow her friend, Arf going with them.

* * *

The chamber the two went in was different than other ones they had to pass through. It was definitely larger, if it was even possible, and a soft material was covering it's floor and walls. Besides it, the room was practically empty.

"It's to prevent injuries resulting from falling or hitting the wall." Fate explained, leading Nanoha inside. "Go ahead, you can use it here." The girl encouraged. "It works in the same way as Bardiche."

"Okay then," The brunette cleared her throat and took a breath. "Voulge, set up!" She exclaimed, rising up her hand with the necklace.

[Barrier Jacket, get set!]

A strong azure light surrounded Nanoha as her transformation sequence activated, changing her normal clothes into a Barrier Jacket. A white skirt appeared on the girl's legs, ending a little above her knees. Her top was replaced by a body-suit like black cloth, covered by a white jacket with long sleeves and puffy arms, decorated with two, round, azure gems and a long black and blue cape attached to them. A long, and about 10cm wide, blue stripe was going through the brunette's front, starting on the edge of her skirt and ending high on her collar. Her hands were protected by black gloves while black and blue thigh-highs didn't leave a part of her legs uncovered. Adding a pair of steel boots and Fate had to admit that her friend was looking fabulous in her new Barrier Jacket.

[Trident Form, get set!]

The device finished the transformation, appearing in amazed Nanoha's hands, this time not as a necklace, but as a deadly-looking trident. The staff itself was larger than the brunette and the girl had to look up to see three blades crowning the whole device. The middle one was a little longer and symmetrical, while the two outside ones were shorter and a bit round on their exterior edges.

A silent 'wow' escaped the brunette's mouth. She raised the weapon, taking it in her both hands. She noticed, that despite it's impressive size, the trident was lighter than she expected and operating it, at least for now, was a pretty easy thing to do. "Um, how do you like it, Fate-chan?" The girl asked her friend sweetly, leaning on the weapon and rising her left leg cutely.

"Y- You look really good," Fate admitted, feeling a light blush creeping on her face.

"And deadly!" Arf added, giggling along with her master. "So, how about a little sparring to test it out?" The familiar proposed, transforming herself and clashing her, covered with metal, fists together with a loud sound.

"Um, I don't know if I..." Nanoha started uncertainly but Fate stopped her efforts.

"Don't worry, Arf will go easy on you," The blonde assured and turned to her familiar. "Right, Arf?"

"Sure!" The girl responded cheerfully. "It'd be just a friendly match to test out it's abilities."

"P- Please take care of me then," The brunette answered, slowly stepping into the centre of the chamber and taking a stance, pointing the three blades at smirking Arf.

"Here I come!" The familiar shouted, plunging forward and rising her right fist, reaching out her left to catch Nanoha's weapon.

[Barrier Protection]

Voulge blinked, creating an azure barrier in front of the brunette. When Arf's fist connected with it, Nanoha had to put all her strength into her legs and arms to withstand the attack and not fall.

[Barrier Explosion]

Arf's eyes widened and she quickly jumped backwards, covering herself from a sudden eruption of bluish light.

[We'll shoot her, Ma'am.]

The device informed and Nanoha nodded. "Yeah."

[Pike Form, get set!]

The trident changed it's form quickly. The two outside blades parted, along with the middle one and the staff creating a four leaf clover shape. An additional hold with a trigger appeared near the set of blades.

Nanoha gripped the weapon tightly, placing her left hand on the hold and aiming at Arf. [Target locked.] The device informed, making the girl concentrate on her opponent. When the familiar shot forward again, the brunette pulled the trigger.

[Star Lance]

Voulge beeped and a bright, azure light filled the room, Arf suddenly finding herself on a collision course with a bluish beam. Hands raised in a defensive state, she shut her eyes tightly, preparing herself for a hit. Most of the blow was blocked by a shield activated in the last moment, but the physical part of the spell sent the girl up to the celling.

Nanoha wiped a drop of sweat from her forehead, leaning on the staff and panting lightly. Her eyes widened when she saw Arf swiftly bouncing off the celling, and already in her wolf form, flying towards her with abnormal speed. Acting like a deer in front of headlights, the brunette covered herself with her hands.

[Rapid Move!]

The device in Nanoha's hand reacted quickly, and in a blink of eye, the girl was a few meters above the ground, watching Arf hitting the floor with a crash. The familiar didn't give up, turning around immediately and pouncing on Nanoha once again.

This time the distance was too short to let the brunette react in a proper way. She only gripped the device harder, holding it in a horizontal position, when Arf's fangs tightened around the staff. The energy of the blow sent both Nanoha and the familiar down on the soft floor.

"I guess it's my win," Arf smirked, pining the brunette down to the ground and baring her teeth playfully.

"I guess it is..." Nanoha giggled nervously.

The orange-haired wolf stepped back, turning into a girl again and helping the other with standing up. "Don't worry, you did well." She assured, patting her lightly on her arm. "A little bit of training and you'll be able to compete even with Fate!"

"T- Thank you," The brunette responded shyly, spotting Fate waiting for her with a smile. Changing back into her normal clothes, Nanoha looked at her device, now back in form of the necklace. "Thank you, Voulge." She said, putting it on her neck.

[At your service, Ma'am.]

* * *

"Can I really sleep _here_?" Nanoha asked with disbelief when Fate led her to her bedroom. It was a big room, dimly lightened by a tall lamp standing next to a king-size bed. On the other side of the room were standing two armchairs, a fancy looking sofa and a small table. There were no windows, but instead of them, there were two large screens on walls, projecting images of a landscape basked in moonlight at night.

"Linith set up an earthly view for you to let you acclimatize to this place better." Fate explained when she saw Nanoha staring at the screens with amazed expression on her small face. "You can use whatever you want to in the room." She added, leading the girl to the bed and encouraging her to sit down on it.

"Wow, it's so soft!" The brunette couldn't help but fall on her back and sink down in the soft mattress.

Fate giggled lightly, watching her friend with amusement. "I'll go now," She stood up and Nanoha's face became serious again. Seeing it, the blonde added. "Just call me whenever you want." The other girl was still staring at her, this time with a questioning look. _"Like this."_ Fate demonstrated, sending a mental message, and laughed again when Nanoha jumped suddenly, looking around.

"H- how?" She stammered, sitting up.

"Just close your eyes and say what you want with your heart." The blonde instructed the girl patiently, smiling encouragingly at her.

Nanoha did as she was told, closing her eyes and focusing on a few words lingering in her mind. _"Is that good?"_ She asked and cheered up when Fate nodded her head.

"_We can talk like that when we're on Earth."_ The girl sat down one more time, taking Nanoha's hand into her own.

"_It's like we're connected by hearts, isn't it?"_ Nanoha giggled when Fate's cheeks became decorated with a cute blush.

"_Um,"_ The blonde nodded with embarrassment. _"I must go now, If you need something, just say so."_ Standing up again, Fate squeezed gently the brunette's hand before letting it.

"_Good night then, Fate-chan," _Nanoha responded with a small smile.

"_Good night."_ Returning the gesture, Fate turned around and left.

Nanoha sighed loudly and fell on the bed once more. It was so soft she could fall asleep without even changing her clothes. Raising herself up with substantial difficulty, the girl reached out for her backpack and took out a pink shirt. After changing herself, she took her new device off her neck and carefully placed it on a small night table. Lying down on the bed, she turned the light off and buried herself in even softer cushions and under a warm quilt.

Everything was so perfect but one thing. She couldn't fall asleep. Turning and changing her position many times, she finally gave up, lying on her back and watching the celling. Closing her eyes, Nanoha thought about Fate. _"Fate-chan,"_ She asked silently, waiting for the girl's response.

"_Yes? Has something happened?"_ Her concerned voice reached the brunette, even if she couldn't physically hear her.

"_No, I just... can't sleep."_ Nanoha answered, feeling suddenly embarrassed about disturbing her friend by something so silly.

"_Is the bed uncomfortable?"_ Fate's tone was full of concern. Apparently, the girl had seriously wanted her friend to feel good in her residence.

"_I- No, it's fine,"_ Nanoha assured. _"It's just that... something familiar is missing." _Waiting for her friend's answer, Nanoha turned on her right side, watching the moon on screens. A few minutes passed and Fate didn't respond. The brunette closed her eyes to ask again when a soft knocking broke the silence around her. "Yes?" She sat up and the door opened, showing Fate standing there and holding something in her hand.

"Can I come in?" The blonde asked silently.

"Sure," Nanoha answered and the door closed again, immersing the room in darkness and artificial light of the two screens.

"Do you mind me sleeping with you tonight?" Fate came closer to the bed, the object she was holding proving to be a pillow.

As if in response, the brunette moved away herself and her cushions on the other side of the bed, making a lot of free space for her friend. "Go ahead," She encouraged with a soft voice.

Fate lay down on the bed, covering herself with the quint and turning on her right side while Nanoha turned on her left so the two were facing each other. "I thought that you couldn't sleep because the room is too big," The blonde whispered, looking into her friend's eyes. "I shouldn't have left you alone here." She said with apologetic voice.

Under the quint, Nanoha searched blindly for Fate's hand, finding it finally and squeezing reassuringly. "Don't worry about it." She whispered back, glad that the blonde was there with her, and gently interlaced their fingers. The presence of the girl was somehow soothing and encouraging for Nanoha as she fell asleep almost immediately after closing her eyes.

* * *

Green eyes scanned a page of a book carefully, stopping from time to time to re-read some sentences once more. A rustle of paper broke the silence lingering in a small, sunlit room and a blond-haired boy shifted in his seat, turning the page. The book was interesting enough to gather his whole attention, or at least to stop him from paying it at his, already cold, breakfast.

A sudden buzzing sound made him tear away from his lecture. He answered the call immediately and a holographic screen popped in front of him. "Yuuno Scrya speaking," He said with professional sounding, but still childish, voice.

"Good morning, Mr Scrya," The other person greeted him with light voice. "This is Time and Space Administration Bureau, my name is Amy Limietta and I'm calling on behalf of Admiral Lindy Harlaown." The brunette girl smiled, and seeing Yuuno's half-eaten breakfast, quickly added. "I hope I don't disturb you."

"Um, no, it's all right." The boy answered, putting a plate with the food aside.

"You were the one reporting finding a Lost Logia, also known as Jewel Seeds, am I right?" Amy asked, looking at her notes.

"Yes," Yuuno confirmed quickly, feeling an excitement building up in hope for some news regarding his discovery. "I've called TSAB immediately and I were present during loading the Seeds on the space cruiser."

"Mhm, I have it here." The girl nodded her head. "Admiral Lindy Harlaown would like to meet with you today at noon in the TSAB headquarters. Can I confirm the meeting or would you rather to choose another date?"

"No, I'll come today!" The blond-haired boy responded immediately, sitting at the edge of his chair. A high ranked TSAB member wanted to meet with him personally, it just _had to_ be something important. So why wait?

"Okay then," Amy tapped at the keys of a computer next to her. She looked at the display and continued. "Your visitor number is 24a." She informed politely.

"Thank you very much." Yuuno bowed his head lightly.

"Likewise." The girl offered another smile before hanging up the call.

Almost instantly, the boy pounced on the rests of his breakfast, finishing it in a few minutes. He quickly washed himself, got dressed, and after putting on his lately found treasure in form of a red necklace, he was ready to go out. Then, his eyes rested on a small watch near his bed. Right, he still had two hours left.

* * *

The TSAB headquarters at noon were, as always, full of people, both civilians and military. After making his way to an enormously big reception, the only thing Yuuno could do was to wait in a short queue. When his turn finally came, he went to the desk, looking up at a young woman sitting behind it. "I'm here to meet with Admiral Lindy Harlaown." He informed.

"Your visitor number?" The receptionist asked, clearly bored with her job.

"24a." The boy answered, waiting for further instructions.

The woman looked at her computer screen, resting her head on her arm. "Admiral Harlaown's office is at the seventh floor, room number 706." She said with almost no emotion, suppressing a yawn.

"Thank you!" Yuuno responded and looked around, searching for any sign of an elevator. Finally, finding what he wanted, he started to make his way through a crowd of people, only to find out that it was just too crowded to use it. Eventually giving up, he decided to just use the stairs.

The boy got on the seventh floor after a few minutes of climbing up the empty stairs. Panting and gasping for more air, he spotted the room he was supposed to go into. He knocked at the door lightly, and after being let in, he opened them, stepping inside. "Good afternoon, Admiral Harlaown," He greeted, standing in front of a large desk with a middle-aged woman sitting behind it. The whole office was quite spacious, furnitures were mostly black with silver parts, the floor was covered with a soft and expensive carpet. TSAB surely wasn't stinting it's high-ranked members of properly equipped offices.

"Good afternoon," The woman responded with a friendly tone. With a graceful move of her hand she shoved away some stray, ocean-green, hair from her face. The rest of them was tied into a long and high ponytail, falling softly at her back. "Please, sit down," She gestured at a chair near the desk.

The aura of dignity, surrounding the woman, made Yuuno carry out her wish immediately.

"Do you know why I wanted to meet with you?" Lindy asked mildly, resting her chin on her hands.

"Um, is it connected with Jewel Seeds?" The boy answered with a question.

"It is," The woman confirmed, resting her back in her chair. "I'm afraid it's going to be a bad news to you." She continued with a serious tone and Yuuno's face fell a little. "Some time ago, we've lost contact with the cruiser transporting the Logia. Our researches indicate that it was apparently destroyed in an interdimensional space, near the Unadministrated Planet #97." Lindy explained with an expression of a professional. "Me and my crew were ordered to investigate the case and retrieve the Jewel Seeds. Since you've been the one who's found them and you know what to look for, would you like to help us with it again?"

For a short while, Yuuno couldn't say a word. So he was just staring at the admiral with disbelief painting on his face.

"Of course, you'll get a proper reward for it." The woman added, seeing the boy's indecision.

"I- Of course I'll help you!" The blond stood up and bowed his head. "Thank you for taking me into account." He said enthusiastically. It was true that his previous efforts went to waste, but how could it even matter when he was going to go on another journey to a different world?

Lindy smiled at the reaction. "Take your most important things with you, we take off in two days, the cruiser's name is Arthra."

* * *

**A/N:** Wow, I can't believe I had so much difficulties with writing this chapter. I don't know when the next update will be, of course, I'll try to bring it as fast as possible. The thing is that my university has started again, and on top of that, I'm dealing with a major writer's block, though I hope it won't take me too long.

As for some explanations, I'll start from Nanoha's device. I know that voulge, as a weapon, doesn't have too much to do with trident or pike, except for all of them being pole weapons. And so doesn't bardiche and scythe. So I took this fact (of being a pole weapon, I mean), as a binding factor.

As for Yuuno, I have always wondered how exactly he managed to get on Earth. In the Movie 1st manga it's partially explained so I took this idea and connected it with another one. I mean, the ship transporting Jewel Seeds was destroyed in the series. And yet, TSAB reacted only after this whole dimensional disturbance thing caused by Nanoha and Fate. A little strange since I honestly don't think that Yuuno's clan had their own space crafts.

That's it for now, thank you for reading, take care and see you next time.


End file.
